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The Unsustainable Sustainability
Suzi H Theodoro1, Othon H Leonardos2
1Programa de Pós-Graduação em Meio Ambiente e Desenvolvimento Rural, Universidade de Brasília, Área Universitária 01, Vila Nossa Senhora de Fátima, Planaltina, 73345-010 Brasília, DF, Brazil.
Anais Da Academia Brasileira De Ciencias
|March 24, 2021
Summary
Despite decades of discussion, true sustainable development remains elusive. Predatory economic models, disguised as sustainable, ignore planetary limits, threatening human existence and questioning current models.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Sociology
- Political Science
Background:
- Environmental sustainability discussions have grown significantly since Rio-92.
- Incorporation into legal texts, public policies, and daily practices is widespread.
- However, achieving genuine sustainable development remains a significant global challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine the "incapacity" of current sustainability models.
- To question the political ownership and conceptual "transmutation" of sustainable development.
- To highlight successes and failures in contemporary sustainable development discourse.
Main Methods:
- This study employs a test case approach.
- It involves critical analysis of discourse surrounding sustainable development.
- The research focuses on questioning existing paradigms rather than providing definitive answers.
Main Results:
- The paper identifies a divergence between the discourse and practice of sustainable development.
- It highlights how certain economic models masquerade as sustainable while exploiting resources.
- The study points to a failure to acknowledge and respect regional social, environmental, and cultural limits.
Conclusions:
- Current models of sustainable development are largely ineffective in practice.
- There is a critical need to re-evaluate the political and societal adoption of sustainability concepts.
- Further inquiry is needed to address the "hits and misses" of modern sustainable development efforts.
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